Regarding the VMC question: I doubt, in a low-level stall, it would have had much effect; time would have been very compressed and attention fixed inside. At FL350 there is plenty of time to allow you attention to search for all clues available. A V.2004 says the high nose attitude might have been easier to understand with an horizon in your peripheral vision. It would have been an extra sense when you could use all the help you could get in a moment of confusion.